• Logged in as Unregistered User
  • Sign in

Social-Ecological Systems Meta-Analysis Database: Theories

This page contains theories that join together two or more of variables and describes how these relate to each other in a theoretically interesting way. A theory is seen here as essentially a prediction for what would happen to a dependent variable, or outcome, based on the values of a set of independent variables. The combination of the independent variables and their values is seen as a sufficient, but not necessary, condition for the prediction of the value of the outcome. As a result, sesmad theories do not imply their logical inverses, where these are possible (e.g. a theory that states that A leads to B does not ensure that not-A leads to not-B). Theories that serve to act as a type of inverse for each other are classified as being complementary to each other.

Each variable is assigned a role in each theory, and variables can take on the following roles:

  • Independent variable: A variable that has some causal effect on another variable
  • Underlying independent variable: An independent variable that affects an outcome by affecting another, more proximate cause. Also referred to as a distal cause.
  • Proximate independent variable: An independent variable that directly affects an outcome without the help of an intermediary variable. Also referred to as a mediating variable.
  • Moderating independent variable: An independent variable that affects an outcome by affecting the relationship between another independent variable and this outcome. This creates what is commonly referred to as an “interaction effect.”
  • Outcome:
  • Intermediate outcome: An outcome that is affected by the independent variables in a theory, that in turn affects the final outcome (e.g. collective action of a commons user group)
  • Final outcome: The final outcome in a theory (e.g. the condition of an environmental commons as it is affected by levels of collective action.)

Additionally, theories can be related to each other in several ways. The following is a list of the types of relationships two theories can have with each other.

  • Nested: Theory A contains all of the variables that theory B contains, with either the same values or the inverse set of values.
  • Related: (Theory A and B have the same value for the same independent variable and predict the same value for the same final outcome, OR theory A and theory B have different values for the same independent variable and thus predict different values for the same final outcome), AND the two theories do not share the common independent variable via a shared theory that is nested within each.
  • Contradictory: Theory A and B have the same value for the same independent variable but predict a different value for the same final outcome. NOTE: because of the principle of equifinality, theories that have different values for the same independent variable and the same value for the same final outcome are not considered to be contradictory.

 

NameVariables
Centralization and corruptionCentralization, Leadership accountability, Commons political power, Commons condition trend
Rebound effectTechnology role, Commons condition trend
Numeric managementMetric diversity, Governance knowledge use, Policy instrument, Compliance, External sanctions, External monitoring, Actor scientific knowledge, Commons condition trend
Failure of centralized controlCentralization, External recognition, Governance knowledge use, Institutional diversity, Metric diversity, Social-ecological fit, Commons condition trend, Commons user mobility, Actor traditional knowledge
Crowding in and participationParticipation in rule making, Compliance, Commons condition trend
Poverty and resource degradationEconomic status, Commons condition trend
Ecological effectiveness of MPAsExternal sanctions, External monitoring, Policy instrument, PA IUCN strict zones, Governance system age, MPA internal natural boundaries, Governance system spatial extent, Transaction costs, Compliance, Commons condition trend
Political decentralization and fitCentralization, Governance knowledge use, Social-ecological fit, Commons condition trend
External recognition and local autonomyExternal recognition, Compliance, Social-ecological fit, Commons condition trend
Rational depletion of natural resourcesProductivity, Property regime, Livelihood alternatives, Commons condition trend
Interest heterogeneity and collective actionInterest heterogeneity, Collective action, Commons condition trend
Nested governanceMultiple levels, Commons condition trend
Marginalization and degradationExternal support, Market scale, Markets, Productivity, Economic status, Economic dependence, Commons condition trend
Cultural heterogeneity and collective actionCultural heterogeneity, Collective action, Commons condition trend
Roving banditryCommons user mobility, Commons alternatives, Resource market value, Market scale, Markets, Commons feedback visibility use, Transaction costs, Roving bandit, Commons condition trend
Market-driven resource declineMarkets, Transaction costs, Resource market value, Market scale, Commons condition trend
Borlaug hypothesis and deforestationTechnology role, Productivity, Commons condition trend
Decentralization and elite captureCentralization, Rights granting process, Actor traditional knowledge, Social-ecological fit, Commons condition trend
Decentralization and leakageCentralization, Social-ecological fit, Scale match, Leakage, Commons condition trend
Polycentric comanagementParticipation in rule making, External recognition, Centralization, Commons political power, Horizontal coordination, Multiple levels, Governance knowledge use, Institutional diversity, Actor adaptive capacity, Compliance, Social-ecological fit, Commons condition trend
Accountable leadershipLeadership, Transaction costs, Leadership authority, Leadership accountability, Collective action, Commons condition trend
Environmental kuznets curveEconomic status, Technology role, Commons condition trend
Feedbacks and general resilienceCommons feedback visibility use, Commons feedback speed use, Actor adaptive capacity, Ecological resilience, Basin switch
Conditions for general resilienceCommons feedback visibility use, Commons feedback speed use, Interest heterogeneity, Cultural heterogeneity, Actor group trust, Institutional diversity, Past collaboration, External Ecological Connectivity, Internal Ecological Connectivity, Metric diversity, Multiple levels, Actor traditional knowledge, Actor scientific knowledge, Leadership, Environmental monitoring, Biodiversity trend, Actor adaptive capacity, Collective action, Transaction costs, Leadership accountability, Leadership authority, Commons condition trend, Ecological resilience, Basin switch
TranshumanceProperty regime, Commons user mobility, Commons alternatives, Productivity, Inter annual predictability, Intra annual predictability, Commons boundary negotiability, Actor adaptive capacity, Commons condition trend
Pigouvian taxesPolicy instrument, Compliance, Transaction costs, External sanctions, External monitoring, Commons condition trend
Economic heterogeneity and collective actionEconomic heterogeneity, Collective action, Commons condition trend
Private property rights and conservationProperty regime, Transaction costs, Conflict resolution, Property security, Commons condition trend
Natural resource dependenceEconomic dependence, Collective action, Commons condition trend
Proportionality and collective-actionProportionality (of costs and benefits), Collective action, Commons condition trend
Participatory management Participation in rule making, Social-ecological fit, Commons condition trend
Group size and collective actionActor group size, Transaction costs, Collective action, Commons condition trend
User group boundariesActor group boundary clarity, Outsider exclusion, Collective action, Commons condition trend
Gilded trapsResource market value, Biodiversity trend, Commons scarcity, Actor debt, Commons alternatives, Over-capitalization, Actor adaptive capacity, Economic dependence, Ecological resilience, Commons condition trend, Actor vulnerability
Bans and perverse incentivesExternal sanctions, External monitoring, Policy instrument, Perverse incentives, Resource market value, Compliance, Black markets, Commons condition trend
Crowding out from external supportExternal support, Proportionality (of costs and benefits), Commons condition trend
Crowding out from external sanctioningExternal sanctions, Compliance, Collective action, Commons condition trend
Social memory and general resilienceActor traditional knowledge, Actor scientific knowledge, Actor adaptive capacity, Ecological resilience, Basin switch
Critique of fortress conservationPA IUCN strict zones, Centralization, Participation in PA siting, Policy instrument, External sanctions, External monitoring, Cultural services condition, User-commons proximity, Participation in rule making, Livelihood alternatives, Leakage, Compliance, User group well-being change, Commons condition trend
Collective action and the commonsCollective action, Commons condition trend
Commons boundaries and collective actionCommons boundaries, Collective action, Commons condition trend
CAR principles for conservation area designPolicy instrument, PA CAR principles, Commons condition trend
Past collaboration and social capitalPast collaboration, Actor group trust, Collective action, Commons condition trend
The tragedy of the open-access commonsProperty regime, Property security, Commons condition trend
Forest transition theoryEconomic status, Commons condition trend
Technical solutions and shifting the burdenCausal level, Technology role, Governance knowledge use, Commons feedback speed use, Commons feedback visibility use, Commons condition trend, Actor vulnerability
Individual transferable quotas (ITQs)Metric diversity, Governance knowledge use, Property regime, Policy instrument, Actor scientific knowledge, Commons condition trend
Metric diversity, biodiversity loss and resilienceMetric diversity, Biodiversity trend, Ecological resilience, Basin switch
Social diversity and general resilienceInterest heterogeneity, Cultural heterogeneity, Actor adaptive capacity, Ecological resilience, Basin switch
Parametric managementGovernance knowledge use, Policy instrument, Self monitoring, Transaction costs, Actor traditional knowledge, Compliance, Self Sanctions, Commons condition trend
CBNRM design principlesSelf Sanctions, Self monitoring, Environmental monitoring, Social-ecological fit, Participation in rule making, Multiple levels, Conflict resolution, Proportionality (of costs and benefits), Commons boundaries, Actor group boundary clarity, External recognition, Outsider exclusion, Compliance, Commons condition trend
Decentralization and local capacityCentralization, External support, Past collaboration, Commons condition trend
EnforcementExternal monitoring, Self monitoring, External sanctions, Self Sanctions, Transaction costs, Compliance, Commons condition trend
Subsidies and perverse incentivesPolicy instrument, Perverse incentives, Over-capitalization, Commons condition trend
Payment for ecosystem services (PES)Policy instrument, Compliance, External monitoring, Transaction costs, Property security, External sanctions, Commons condition trend
Social-ecological fit theorySocial-ecological fit, Commons condition trend
Local livelihood and protected areasPolicy instrument, User group well-being change, Cultural services condition, Commons condition trend
Centralized conservationPolicy instrument, PA IUCN strict zones, Centralization, User-commons proximity, External monitoring, Transaction costs, Compliance, External sanctions, Commons condition trend
Conflict resolution and collective actionConflict resolution, Transaction costs, Collective action, Commons condition trend
Transaction costs and collective actionTransaction costs, Collective action, Commons condition trend
Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM)Interest heterogeneity, Cultural heterogeneity, Economic dependence, User-commons proximity, Governance knowledge use, Centralization, Actor group size, Property regime, Personal communication, Commons feedback visibility use, Actor group trust, Social-ecological fit, Commons condition trend
EcolabelsPolicy instrument, Compliance, External sanctions, External monitoring, Transaction costs, Commons condition trend
Communication and collective actionPersonal communication, Actor group trust, Collective action, Commons condition trend
NameVariables